Johannesburg-based Skyriders has extensive experience in providing rope access inspection, non-destructive testing and work-at-height maintenance solutions to a number of high-profile clients in the international power generation, mining, construction, petrochemical and industrial sectors. Following months of negotiations and legal procedures, Skyriders was officially transferred in October 2012 to new owner and managing director Quinton Woods.

Woods boasts a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) qualification from the Henley Management College, and spent more than 16 years in a management position at a large fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) corporation, before eventually leaving in 1997 to establish his own business management consultancy that assists listed and other companies specialising in turnarounds, corporate recovery and unlocking value.

After being appointed by Skyriders to restructure the company’s operating procedures, Woods first realised the considerable potential of Skyriders. “Despite operating in a highly-challenging environment, Skyriders has proven itself to be an international market leader, with a zero fatality record since its establishment in 1998. With this in mind, I identified the enormous potential of the company, and made an offer to purchase in March 2011,” he explains.

Woods believes that Skyriders has the necessary experience and expertise to rapidly expand, and he has taken a fundamental decision to place additional investment into the company, in order to reward employee excellence while promoting growth. “Skyriders has a stable cash flow and the main focus moving forward is to build human capacity, which will ultimately ensure improved productivity and profitability,” he continues.

Skyriders officially received ISO 9001:2008 quality management certification in March 2012, and the prestigious BS OHSAS 18001:2007 certificate for occupational health and safety was achieved in September 2012.

He adds: “The ISO 9001:2008 and BS OHSAS 18001:2007 quality management certifications provide our customers with independent verification of our commitment to implementing the highest standards of business management and continual improvement. The BS OHSAS 18001 standard is compatible with the ISO 9001 quality management system, and will enable Skyriders to continually improve its occupational health and safety management system, and demonstrate its commitment to clients by minimising employee and client health and safety risks."

Another aspect of the change of ownership is a complete rebranding of the Skyriders logo, website and all marketing material. “It is important to create a fresh and appealing corporate image for Skyriders without compromising any fundamental aspects of the business, and that is exactly what we aim to achieve with the rebranding, which we expect to be fully completed by October 2012.”

Looking to the future, Woods believes that the African and international market sectors will provide Skyriders with the greatest potential for growth. “The long-term plan for Skyriders is to establish the company as the preferred supplier of at-height service solutions to mining projects particularly in Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Guinea, Mozambique and Sudan. Skyriders has already successfully completed a number of high-profile maintenance contracts and, as investment steadily rises in this sector, I am confident that we can obtain measurable market share by 2015,” he concludes.

Ends

Notes to the EditorThere are numerous photographs specific to this press release. Please visit http://media.ngage.co.za and click the Skyriders link.

About SkyridersSkyriders (Pty) Ltd, established in 1998, is a leader in the South African rope access industry, providing cost- and time-saving solutions to clients in the power generation and petrochemical industries who require rope access aided inspection, NDT and maintenance work to be done in difficult to reach, high-up locations.